The new administration in Honduras didn’t get off to a good start last week. First, it was announced that the nation is bankrupt and will likely need financial assistance from foreign countries in order to recover from months of diplomatic isolation over its June coup, The New York Times reports.

Honduras swore in its new president as former leader Manuel Zelayaflew into exile in the Dominican Republic on Wednesday, The New York Times reports. He’d been seeking refuge at the Brazilian Embassy since September after being ousted in the June 28 coup, living three months in exile and then slipping back into the country.

The brutal murder of General Julian Aristides Gonzalez, which occurred after he dropped his daughter off at school just days ago, is the latest indication of the extent to which drug violence is wreaking havoc all across Latin America. Honduras is at the crossroads of drug smuggling, and Gonzalez found himself trying to handle the situation with the smugglers from Colombia, as well as handling the increasing presence of Mexico's drug cartels.

Last week, President Obama sent a three-page letter to Brazilian leader Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva restating America’s stance on Iran’s nuclear program a day before Brazil hosted Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Though the letter didn’t criticize the visit, Obama requested that da Silva use this opportunity to encourage Iran to develop nuclear energy for peaceful purposes.

Deposed Honduran President Jose Manuel Zelaya wrote a letter to President Obama stating he will not support the upcoming elections in his country, and will encourage his supporters to share his position, CNN reports.

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